The Death of Michael Hutts:

COACHES MUST BE VIGILANT

Constant worry: With the easy availability of drugs and alcohol to
college students, coaches have to monitor players' behavior for
potential problems.

Former Georgia Tech football coach Bill Curry said Saturday that the
police report stating Jackets pitcher Michael Hutts consumed alcohol
the night before he died took him back to the days when he dealt with
issues of drug and alcohol abuse on a daily basis.

"There is a world out there that most of us have no idea that it even
exists," said Curry, who also coached at Alabama and Kentucky. "And if
you're a coach today, you better be willing to get down and deal with
it on the street level.

"Kids can get this stuff on any street corner in America. Most adults
would be shocked at what our kids are exposed to."

Hutts, a junior, was found dead in his apartment on April 11. Hutts'
roommate and teammate Ryan Tinkoff told the Atlanta Police Department
that he and Hutts had been drinking the night before he died, and that
Hutts had possibly used heroin in the past.

Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden said he spends a lot of time
talking to his players about drug and alcohol abuse.

"It's a part of life, and it's so accessible to the kids now, even in
a little place like Clemson," Bowden said Saturday.

"As a coach you have to emphasize to your staff to always be looking
for the red flags that something is wrong."

Bowden would not talk about specific players, but he said he has
called players into his office after he, or somebody on the staff, or
one of the other players has indicated that there might be a problem.

"It could be a guy's performance on the field. It could be that he's
hanging out with the wrong crowd. It could be a lot of things," Bowden
said. "If a guy has a problem, somebody is going to bring it to your
attention."

Tech baseball coach Danny Hall said Saturday that he saw no signs of a
problem with Hutts.

"Michael Hutts was a very good teammate. I never saw anything that
would make you think this guy is messing around or doing something
[wrong]," Hall said. "He was a very good student at Georgia Tech, and
this is a hard school.

"So there is nothing that would lead me or anyone on our team to
believe that this guy had a problem."

Bowden says he stays in touch with local law-enforcement agents and
with former players who live in the Clemson area.

"If something is going on, those guys know about it," Bowden
said.

Bowden also said that when drugs are involved, a coach cannot be
afraid to bring the hammer down if that player refuses help.

"First, you let them know that they are going to be tested. Then you
tell them you'll do everything you can to help them," Bowden said.

"But if they don't want help, you will have to let them go. And they
have to know that you will let them go."

The NCAA does random drug testing during championship
events.

Players in the NCAA basketball tournament, for example, know that they
are subject to testing after a game. Most schools do some form of
random drug testing.

Coaches have to stay in touch with their players as much as possible
in order to see the red flags.

"This is something that you think about all the time and that you hope
you never have to face," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "But you
sure think about it. How could you not?

"We have them for 20 hours a week during the season and only eight
hours in the offseason. You would hope that you would see the red
flags in the time you have with them. But it's not easy."